Saigon Co.op has prepared a large volume of goods worth VNĐ10 trillion (US$410.39 million) for the Lunar New Year in February. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Co.op
Saigon Co.op has earmarked VNĐ10 trillion (over US$410 million) to stockpile goods for Tết (the Lunar New Year) in February, an increase of 20-50 per cent from the previous year depending on product group.
Most of the money has been spent on products meant for the city’s price stabilisation programme like rice, sugar, cooking oil, pork, poultry meat and eggs, processed foods, fruits, vegetables, and seafood.
Saigon Co.op started to prepare for Tết in mid-2023.
Nguyễn Ngọc Thắng, Saigon Co.op’s marketing director cum Co.opmart’s operations director, said people are expected to start shopping three to four weeks ahead of Tết.
Saigon Co.op expects sales to increase by 20-30 per cent from normal periods, and confectioneries, square/cylindrical sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng/bánh tét), pork paste, pickled leeks, and fruits to be the bestsellers with demand for household items and clothes increasing slightly, he said.
The retailer has mapped out plans for timely transportation and distribution of goods.
To ensure quality, hygiene and food safety, Saigon Co.op will increase the frequency of quality checks by two or three times compared to normal days.
Food items will be especially checked for quality at the distribution centre and quickly tested again at the supermarket before being put on the shelves.
It plans to recruit more than 1,000 seasonal employees as sales staff, cashiers, marketers, gift wrappers, security guards, storekeepers, warehouse assistants, and home delivery staff.
The retailer also plans to open a Co.opmart supermarket each in Tiền Giang and An Giang by the end of this month, and 10 Co.op Food stores in HCM City, Bình Dương and Biên Hòa, to enable price-stabilised products and high-quality Vietnamese goods reach more consumers.
It will run a number of promotions from now until close to Tết, including offering discounts on over 10,000 items of 50-100 per cent, to help ease shopping pressure on people and give gifts, high reward points and gift vouchers.
Saigon Co.op also plans to organise over 200 mobile sales trips to industrial parks, export processing zones and remote areas to meet workers’ shopping needs, and free bus trips for workers to return to their hometowns for Tết.
This year it will continue to implement a programme called ‘Gắn kết tình thân - Tết xa thêm gần’ under which customers can order gift baskets at any Co.opmart and Co.opXtra supermarket and get them delivered for free at any province or city where it has stores. — VNS